1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a copying apparatus, more particularly, comprising a sheet distributor and a sheet binder so that the sheets carrying the images transcribed by the copying machine can be distributed and bound accordingly after being ejected from the copying machine.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, responding to the increasing demand for automatic paper handling systems for copying machines, optional systems such as automatic document feeding systems and sorting systems designed for sorting or grouping duplicate sheets have been developed and commercialized in various types one after another. The users of the copying machines are now requiring the sorter-finisher system capable of automatically binding and stacking the duplicate sheets which have been distributed and stocked in the sorting system, and this type sorter-finisher system has already been commercialized for some of large-sized copying machines.
For example, those publicized in U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,804, issued Oct. 29, 1985 to Braun et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,525, issued Feb. 3, 1981 to Sterret, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,393, issued Nov. 30, 1982 to Noto, are known as sorter-finisher systems falling under said category. However, all such sorter-finisher systems have their finishers designed for the installation on the side of the sorter. Besides, such sorter-finisher systems are not applicable to the small-sized copying machines designed for the general users, because even the sorter alone is too large both in size and installation area. Especially, the kind of system wherein the sheets distributed among and stocked in the bins have to be taken out by an oscillating arm with sheet holder and transferred to the binder by the feeder is not only too complex mechanically but also too large in size.
Furthermore, there are other problems concerning this kind of sorter-finisher system. It has been pointed out that the binding unit is unable to bind a bunch of sheets completely when the bunch consists of a number of sheets exceeding the allowable number even when the apparatus is operated in the binding mode.
Also, the conventional sorter is designed to distribute the sheets among the bins one by one starting from the top bin for the convenience of the machine operator in taking out the sheets from the bins. In the case where the binding unit has to be installed below the sorting unit, however, the bunches of the sorted sheets will have to be transferred to the binding unit one by one starting from the one distributed to the bottom bin. Thus, when the sheets are distributed first to the top bin and downwards from that point on, even the bins not containing the sheets have to be shifted to the sheet takeout position leading to the binding unit, and this creates a problem and a considerable waste of time in binding operation.